How to follow up after you applied for the job

How to follow up after you applied for the job is a question many job seekers ask. Often it is easy to think you would be imposing on someone but you need to recognize that until you follow-up after you applied for the job, many employers don’t know that you really want the job. They get so many applications, you may get lost in the shuffle.

How soon do you follow up after you applied for the job?

When you apply online, you sometimes get an immediate email. If you don’t get anything, you can follow-up within 24 hours to make sure your application was received. Even if you do get the automated reply, you still can make a call to show your interest.

When you do follow-up, make sure you are ready for anything that could happen. Depending on the size of the company, you may be talking to someone who determines that you have exactly what they need and asked questions about your qualifications.

This is not the time to hem and haw. Be prepared with concise answers about your background and why you applied for the job so that you can make a good impression.

What is the best practice for follow up after you applied for the job?

I tell my clients to make a practice of using the 7 to 10 day rule. Unless you were given a specific schedule for follow-up, you are not being a pest if you contact the company every 7 to 10 days from your last contact.

Do recruiters get upset if you follow up after you applied for the job?

You can’t typecast recruiters with that broad of a brush. Will some recruiters get upset if you follow-up? Yes, because they don’t want to be bothered. They want to be in control. On the other hand, if you were the ideal candidate, they might appreciate you letting them know you are very interested, especially if you can articulate your value in simple sentences that make them understand why you are the candidate they are seeking.

Just remember that recruiters never work for you. They work for the employer. Their job is to find the best match because that is what they are paid to do. A true recruiter works on commission and the commission is only earned when their candidate is chosen and they meet the needs of the employer. There are others called recruiters who may be on salary with a company as an internal recruiter, commission may or may not apply.

In many cases, the recruiter is the first step in the hiring process so while I think you should still make the contact to follow-up, remember that it is critical to be polite, sincere, and prepared during all phases of your job search.

Do you ruin the chance that you will be hired if you follow-up?

This question is related to the ones above but refers more to calling an internal person at the company. If you follow-up because you have read the job description, understand what the employer needs, know you have the talent and skills to do the job, can articulate your value and success stories clearly, then by all means follow-up.

If you are blindly applying to jobs without reading job descriptions, doing company research, and being ready with a quality resume and interview strategy, you need to start by doing all of those things before you apply at all.

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